All About J Barter

TESTIMONIALS

SUN HOLIDAYS

The place was WOW !!! Food was far too good and the room was very nice and clean – bathroom was lovely with fantastic shower.

I would really recommend this place - will def be looking at going back also while we were there we got talking to another couple who had been here already and back now and coming back again there in August, but they also told me when booking again to check out the Protur one in Almeria – they said it is really fantastic but also said any Protur accommodation they have used has been excellent. Thanks again - I really disappointed we didn’t opt for the two weeks !!!

Gerda

Hi Janet, I hope you are well. We arrived home last night after a fantastic holiday everyone had a ball everything from the travel to the apartment complex and the area we were in was great.

I just wanted to drop you a quick email to say thank you for finding us such a nice place.

Paul

Hi Janet, The arrangements for flights, transfers and hotel were excellent and all proceeded very smoothly.

The hotel was a very good choice with top-class service and facilities. I left such a compliment in their customer satisfaction log and indicated that I would pass-on this fact to you.

The holiday was thoroughly enjoyed by all and the only question asked was when do we have the next holiday!! I will be in touch with you on this next month.

Mick

CITY BREAKS

Hi Karen, Just a quick note regarding recent trip to Prague. We had a fantastic time! The stop over in Amsterdam worked out a treat as we arrived before 9am and were able to spend the day there as flight to Prague wasn't due to depart until approx 12 hours later. We were able to take in a canal cruise and have a relaxing leisurely lunch. The weather was beautiful in both Prague and Amsterdam.

The hotel in Prague was lovely, transfers were on time, rooms were twin as requested so we were delighted with that. We really enjoyed the breakfasts and the choice was fantastic. We also ate in the hotel one evening and it was excellent value and very enjoyable. The staff were very helpful and friendly also and the concierge recommended one of the tours to us which turned out to be very pleasant as our travel guide was excellent and he in turn booked a traditional Czech night of food and dancing for us. He also arranged that we would be collected to and from the Corinthia Hotel.
The hotel is located very conveniently opposite the Metro. While the hotel is quite big, the design is very clever as there are no long corridors.

All in all, we had a brilliant time and thank you for your help and recommendations for this booking.

All the best,

Eileen

Hi Rachel, Just a quick line to say Thank you so much for all the leg work you did for us.

We had a brilliant time in Prague- an excellent recommendation, ideal for us. We did lots of walking, beer-drinking and people watching. I loved the city, so much art and culture.

Sean was delighted.

Thank you.

Angie

WEDDINGS

"Yet again thank you Sarah so much for all your help with organising our flights and accomodation for our wedding trip it truly was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives and one we will never forget! Everything ran so smoothly and exceeded all of our expectations so we were both beyond delighted with the whole experience."

Jillian

HONEYMOONS

"Thanks Lorrainefor planning an amazing honeymoon for us; so professional and attentive in giving us the holiday of a lifetime from start to finish!!"

Claire

FAMILY HOLIDAYS

"Hi Sarah Brady.The holiday was fantastic & we loved the hotel and Melonares ... I would highly recommend it! The food in the hotel was superb - the suite was perfect and the staff were very nice! Dinner was great fun and the small touches like plastic Daisy plates were very thoughtful. Ellie nearly lost her life when Daisy came up to her, but was secretly thrilled as she kept pointing to the pictures of Daisy. She also loved the giant chess pieces and the aqua aerobics!

The hotel transfer was great. We will definitely go back and would be tempted to try the Lopesan hotel next time - purely because it looks so unique! We both felt that it was a much nicer location than Playa Blanca in Lanzarote and would even say that the hotel was on a par, if not better than Princess Yaiza! Thanks for your help!"

Orla

Katarina in Barters helped us when my sister and I decided to take my six year old niece to Disneyland Paris. From start to finish, everything was organised for us - Katarina was always available to answer any questions, no matter how trivial, and she thought of everything.

Her attention to detail was amazing, and I really got the impression that it was very important to her, and everyone in Barters, that we had the best holiday possible. The professionalism and personal touches from Barters helped make it a trip of a lifetime - thank you, Katarina.

Mary

ICELAND HOLIDAYS

" A visit to Iceland was always a dream of ours. We went for 4 nights in February with help of Barters Travel Cork & especially Katarina. Even though we only saw a sliver of this fantastic island (We concentrated on the southern part based in Reykjavik) the trip was beyond our expectations.

Signs of nature began at airport with vibrant posters depicting the natural beauty of the country. They speak English very well & our transfer driver advised us about places to eat & a craft brewery and pup which we visited on our first night.

We stayed at Radisson Saga. Great location only 15 mins. walk from town centre (only 10 min's in summer) as paths were icy during our stay. The staff were friendly & helpful. However room layout was strange. Double bed had one side against wall. The highlight was fifth floor restaurant with spectacular views and a high quality of food.

We took hopon/off bus city tour on the first day. Its a great way to get an overall sense of attractions to be seen. Being a frontier type town there was not a great amount to be seen.

Best day was a 9 hour tour in super jeep with 10 other people. This was an adventure in itself. Our guide as well as being a superb driver kept us informed and entertained. The drive to the glacier was off road & so exciting if a a little bumpy. At glacier we had an hours snowmobile ride. We also visited geyser, waterfall, black sand beach & tectonic plates (N America & Europe) that are separating about one inch per year. Game of Thrones TV series is also filmed there.

I'm glad that last night we visited Blue Lagoon. Its the one place that everyone asked about when we got here. The water was deliciously warm. Has a waterfall & cave & mud treatments. Also a a swim/walk up to well stocked bar. It is surrounded by snow capped mountains - surreal.

Iceland is expensive but for an magical experience well worth it."

Helen & Sean

WALKING HOLIDAYS

"I have just returned from our Camino Walk from Sarria to Santiago arranged by Michael Grainger and Barters Travel. I travelled with my friends Marian O'Mahony and Bernadette O'Driscoll and just have to thank Michael for his detailed instructions and helpful hints along the way.

We thoroughly enjoyed the walk in spite of the heavy rain on the last few days. The hotels along the way were better than expected especially the Hesperia Peregrino in Santiago which was a welcome luxury at the end. It was also great to have our luggage waiting without fail at each destination.

Its not often I can say that a holiday goes without a hitch but it did in this case and well done to Michael and Katarina in Barters for the well organised trip"

Claire

ESCORTED TOURS

"Thanks Niamh O'Donovan for organising our recent escorted tour to China. The private tour for just the 2 of us was amazing. We had such a fabulous time and our personal tour guides made the whole trip both interesting and exciting.

I can not recommend them highly enough. Thank you again for arranging our flights and the tour and all under budget!"

Stephanie and John

LONGHAUL HOLIDAYS

Katarina, thanks for the wonderful Resort you sourced for us in the Maldives!

We had a fabulous holiday - Grand Centara was perfect for our family, super activities, food was great & simply all inclusive - covering all trips, meals/drinks, water activities & even 30 min massage for Mum/Dad each day! Strongly recommend for others looking for an an active family experience in the magical Maldives. Emirates worked great via Dubai & kids loved the Seaplane adventure too!

Hope to work with you Katarina & thanks for your efforts on identifying Grand Centara.

Barrie

"My wife and I have recently returned from seven weeks of travelling (through Australia, New Zealand, Thailand) booked through your Douglas Branch by Ellen Farley.

I would just like to comment on how seamless all the arrangements were and the efficiency of Ellen given the fact that I changed my mind several times before finalising our trip. It is doubtful that we could have arranged all this ourselves and she was pleasant, courteous and efficient every time I changed my mind. Her hotel choices were excellent as well.

I just wanted to express my gratitude to your company and in particular Ellen. We would not hesitate to recommend your company and Ellen in particular to any of our friends and family."

Stuart Healy

CRUISE HOLIDAYS

" The holiday was a great success with the only down side being it had to end.

Istanbul was great and to be thoroughly recommended as a holiday destination. Admittedly there is the underlying terrorist threat but in reality no more than to be expected in other cities from criminal types. In fact there was a very high and visible security presence with security scans at the entrances to all museums. The Turkish people were very friendly and there were no language problems.

We had a pleasant flight to Istanbul with Turkish Airlines. Istanbul airport is just organized chaos so a big injection of patience is required on arrival. Here is a couple of tips for Istanbul:

Best to have get your Visa online before you travel and second, buy an Istanbul Museum card on arrival. This card may save you some money but more important, it saves time from queuing which can be a problem at Topkapi Palace and the Aya Sofia (though you will still have to que for the security control).

The main part of the holiday was the Star Clipper cruise. The ship holds a max of 170 passengers but on this occasion there were only 62 so there was a more intimate feel on board. The ship sails as much as possible under sail power and this is a lovely experience. On two occasions we had dolphins swimming alongside.

We visited several Greek islands, Limnos, Skiathos and Skopelos which are less frequented by the large cruise ships. This means a more relaxing visit and nothing beats a lovely seafood lunch in an idyllic location with the blue skies and the water gently lapping against the colourful fishing craft all washed down by some of the local vino.

The Star Clipper has a single dining area. The meals are excellent and with many different nationalities on board usually means different dining companions each evening. The last port of call before Athens was Poros and here we went on a ships excursion to Epidauros. Apart from the ancient Greek Asklepion Health centre we also saw and experienced the famous theatre. Our flight home from Athens to Dublin was late evening and we were able to take in a day tour to Delphi.

All in all, it was a wonderful holiday. A very big thanks to you, Caroline for your negotiating a good price for the cruise. It saved us hundreds of Euro and was the deal breaker for us."

Mary and Paul

We would love to hear your feedback and travel reviews from your recent holiday.